Mason. In a moment the infuriated husband vanished into the rational and
docile brother.

"Ladies and gentlemans, valk in, if you please," he said, to my great
astonishment; "Vilhelmina and my good self make you velcome to our poor
house. Vilhelmina, arise and say so."

"Go to the back kitchen, Hans," replied Wilhelmina, whose name was
"Betsy," "and don't come out until I tell you. You will find work to do
there, and remember to pump up. I wish to hear things that you are not
to hear, mind you. Shut yourself in, and if you soap the door to deceive
me, I shall know it."

"Vere goot, vere goot," said the philosophical German; "I never meddle
with nothing, Vilhelmina, no more than vhat I do for de money and de
house."

Betsy, however, was not quite so sure of that. With no more ceremony she
locked him in, and then came back to us, who could not make things out.

"My husband is the bravest of the brave," she told us, while she put
down his key on the table; "and a nobler man never lived; I am sure
of that. But every one of them foreigners--excuse me, Sir, you are an
Englishman?"

"I am," replied the Major, pulling up his little whiskers; "I am so,
madam, and nothing you can say will in any way hurt my feelings. I am
above nationalities."

"Just so, Sir. Then you will feel with me when I say that they
foreigners is dreadful. Oh, the day that I ever married one of 'em--but
there, I ought to be ashamed of myself, and my lord's daughter facing
me."

"Do you know me?" I asked, with hot color in my face, and my eyes, I
dare say, glistening. "Are you sure that you know me? And then please to
tell me how."

As I spoke I was taking off the close silk bonnet which I had worn for
travelling, and my hair, having caught in a pin, fell round me, and
before I could put it up, or even think of it, I lay in the great arms
of Betsy Bowen, as I used to lie when I was a little baby, and when my
father was in his own land, with a home and wife and seven little ones.
And to think of this made me keep her company in crying, and it was some
time before we did any thing else.

"Well, well," replied the Major, who detested scenes, except when he had
made them; "I shall be off. You are in good hands; and the cabman pulled
out his watch when we stopped. So did I. But he is sure to beat me. They
draw the minute hand on with a magnet, I am told, while the watch hangs
on their badge, and they can swear they never opened it. Wonderful age,